We've had the Samsung Galaxy S5 handset since the start of the year, making it old news in the smartphone world. All attention may now on the Apple iPhone 6, which is due to launch in September, but we shouldn't ignore Samsung and what it has planned for its next handset, the Galaxy S6. Rumours are already starting to surface and we're here to filter through all of the information to try and get some solid information on the new flagship handset. We'll be updating this article regularly, so check back often to find out the latest information.
Release date
The release date is something that should be fairly easy to predict, thanks to Samsung's yearly release schedule. Following the launch of Galaxy S3 in May 2012, we had the S4 in April 2013 and the S5 in April 2014. It doesn't take a genius to work out that April 2015 seems the most likely launch date of the Galaxy S6. The main question is when will the official unveiling of the phone be?
The press event is typically a few weeks before the phone's official launch date. Last year Samsung decided to unveil the S5 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) show in Barcelona. However, this was a little unusual, as the company had previously launched its new phones at its own events. It's too early to tell exactly what the company has planned this time around, but if the company decides to go with an MWC launch, the show kicks off on 2nd March 2015; if it doesn't, expect a dedicated Samsung event around the same time.
Samsung Galaxy S6 specs
Expect the S6 to have a Super AMOLED screen at a higher resolution than the S5. Samsung has said that it wants to keep boosting screen resolutions and has claimed it will launch a 4K 3,840x2,160 smartphone in 2015. Could that be the S6? Regardless the firm has already released the Galaxy S5 LTE-A in South Korea, which has a resolution of 2,560x1,440. The S6 looks likely to surpass that and then some.
Samsung has also been creeping up screen sizes other the years. The Galaxy S3 had a 4.8in screen, the S4 had a 5in screen and the S5 measured 5.1in. It would seem logical that Samsung would keep up this rate, giving the S6 a slight screen boost to 5.2in or 5.3in (these would still be smaller than the 5.5in LG G3). However, the company may decide that it's gone far enough, particularly as it has the large-screen Galaxy Note 4 coming up and Samsung would surely want to maintain some differences between its two main product lines.
The S6 looks certain to launch with Google's Android 5 L operating system. With Android 5 bringing support for 64-bit processors the S6 will almost certainly run on one. Either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 or 810 seem likely, with the latter supporting 4K displays.
The camera on the Samsung Galaxy S6 could top 20 megapixels for the first time. Looking at what Samsung's done before it seems likely. The S3 had an 8 megapixel snapper, the S4 upgraded to 13 and the S5 16 megapixels. With smartphone cameras such a huge selling point, Samsung is certain to once again upgrade the camera hardware and software. We'd expect at least 20 megapixels.
Samsung Galaxy S6 design
The Samsung Galaxy Alpha (or is it an iPhone 5S?) has somewhat thrown the spanner in the works with its metal frame and thin design. At only 7mm thick, it ditched some of the plastic found on Galaxy handsets in favour of metal, while keeping the plastic front and dimpled plastic rear.
What does this mean for the S6? It would be odd if Samsung's next flagship handset didn't take its cue from the Alpha and there has been speculation that the S6 will indeed have a metal chassis. If true we would also expect the Galaxy S6 to be thinner than the S5.
Samsung Galaxy S6 price
Again, Samsung is pretty reliable and we'd expect the Samsung Galaxy S6 to cost roughly the same as the S5. In the UK that means £549 SIM-free, direct from Samsung. There's a chance it could be a little cheaper or a little more expensive, but Samsung has keenly stalked Apple's pricing of the iPhone for some time so the S6 will likely do the same. The S6 will be a high-end handset, so expect it to have a high-end price to match.
